The second year of the COVID-19 pandemic saw continued ups and downs when it came to telehealth use.

A few months after widespread vaccine use emboldened some patients to seek in-person care, the Delta variant began to drive case numbers up again – and many individuals, having experienced the convenience of telehealth, continued to take advantage of the modality.

But uncertainties endure, and questions remain. To name just three: 

• What will telemedicine-specific regulations look like after the end of the public health emergency?
• How can stakeholders and decision-makers ensure that virtual care is accessible to everyone? 
• How will deep-pocketed retail giants and nimble startups affect the landscape in the months to come?

As part of Season Two of Telehealth Connection TV, a limited-run series for HIMSSTV, I spoke with six telehealth experts – including federal officials, scholars, chief information officers and two sitting U.S. senators – about their experiences with telehealth and what they predict for the future.

Hear what they had to say in the videos below, and stay tuned for more telehealth coverage in 2021!

Episode 1: Telehealth advancement requires widespread broadband coverage

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Virginia, tells me that it will take a “sizable federal commitment” to get Americans connected.

Episode 2: Telehealth as a uniquely bipartisan policy

Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, describes the interest from both Democrats and Republicans in safeguarding access to virtual care as "thrilling."

Episode 3: Connecting vulnerable patients to care

Jabari Butler, chief information officer at HEALing Community Center, talks through the lessons other federally qualified health centers can take from his facility's telemedicine rollout.

Episode 4: Improving population health

Nursing informatics professional Judy Murphy muses on the potential for virtual services to bolster preventive care.

Episode 5: A double-edged sword for people with disabilities

Prof. Rupa S. Valdez outlines how vendors and informaticists could work to improve virtual care accessibility.

Episode 6: Telehealth capabilities at the VA

VA Chief Information Officer Dominic Cussatt says the agency was well-positioned to offer telemedicine to patients when the pandemic hit.

If you enjoyed these videos and want to see more like them, we suggest checking out the Virtual Care Paradigm series, available on HIMSSTV. Or, for weekly updates on all things telemedicine, subscribe to the Telehealth Connection Newsletter.

Thanks for watching, and see you next year.

Kat Jercich is senior editor of Healthcare IT News.
Twitter: @kjercich
Email: kjercich@himss.org
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.